Automated power driven pool cleaners typically include rotating brushes mounted on tubes or shafts extending across the body at the front and rear of the machine. The shaft on which the cleaning brush is mounted is rotatable and can be driven by one or more endless belts that engage grooved pulleys at either or both ends of the rotatable shaft.
The cleaning brushes can be made of foam, in which case they are subject to wear and tear due to their continuous rotating contact with the bottom and side wall surfaces of the pool. As a result, foam cleaning brushes must be periodically removed and replaced. Various types of brushes have been used with pool cleaning machines of the prior art. Brushes in the form of elongated cylinders produce from molded polyvinyl acetate (PVA) having a relatively fine pore size are designed to cover the entire length of the rotatable shaft in a single piece. The molded PVA is relatively rigid when dry, but becomes softer and more elastic when wet with water which facilitates fitting it to the shaft.
Other types of brushes are formed as generally rectangular elements having a flat surface on the back which can be tightly fitted to the rotatable shaft. Interlocking tabs and openings at the mating ends of the mat permit its secure assembly to the shaft. Elements of various configurations projecting from the exterior surface of the mat contact the pool surface with a scrubbing action to loosen debris and allow it to be drawn into the pool cleaner's filter system. The flat brushes can be produced as an integrally molded element using a synthetic rubber compound. The flat brushes can also be fabricated by drawing elongated rectangular pieces of cellular foamed plastic through openings in an open-weave backing material.
While each type of cleaning brush possesses certain advantages, and is intended for use under specific conditions, each requires a substantial capital investment in order to provide special molds and other equipment required to manufacture the brushes. In addition, the materials and manufacturing processes required for each of the types of brushes described add further to the cost of the finished article.
A further drawback associated with the use of these prior art brushes is the effort associated with removing a worn brush and installing a replacement cleaning brush. In the case of the cylindrical PVA foam brush, the old element can most easily be removed by cutting it away from the shaft. However, considerable effort is required to pull and properly fit the replacement brush to the shaft. The dismounting of the flat brush is likewise facilitated by cutting the neck portion of the tabs where the mating ends overlap. Installing the new brush requires some strength, since the tabs and slots of the overlying ends must be brought into mating alignment and the interlocking elements have limited resiliency to insure that they do not disengage once assembled in the correct interlocking position. Installation of the brushes can prove difficult for residential pool owners.
In view of the above observations, it would be desirable to provide a cleaning brush for pool cleaners as original equipment or as a replacement for worn or damaged cleaning brushes, that is both economical to manufacture and that is easy to install and remove.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a cleaning brush that can be produced from inexpensive and readily available materials.
It is another object of the invention to provide a means for fabricating cleaning brushes that are relatively inexpensive and use standard production equipment and methods.
It is also an important object of the invention to provide cleaning brushes that are easy to install and that can be easily removed at such time as replacement is required.